Page 384 - MOE ENGLISH PR REPORT - JANUARY 2024

The EcoMark certification, which is based on ISO standards and digitally enabled, will

include a full suite of resources to help MSMEs attain EcoMark status, covering
document requirement guidelines and a roadmap to progress from basic to advanced
levels of sustainability, and a standardized application process and complete eligibility
criterion for accreditors in the participating countries. The framework will be overseen by

a central body headquartered in the UAE.

The initiative was announced at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos
by Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, during an
panel discussion titled ‘A New Trade Order: Inclusive Growth’. The panel, which
gathered ministers, policymakers, and academics to explore means to better integrate

LDCs, MSMEs, and female and youth-led businesses into global trade, highlighted the
need to help emerging enterprises keep pace with increasing consumer demand for
products and services that comply with green standards.

Al Zeyoudi emphasized that MSMEs have a pivotal role to play in driving the transition
toward a lower-carbon economy. However, the contribution of MSMEs such as those

run and operated by underrepresented groups including women and youth can only be
unlocked through targeted and customized support that reduces time, cost and resource
constraints associated with environmental regulatory compliance.

Al Zeyoudi said: “Accounting for almost 90 percent of global businesses, MSMEs must

have full access to the global trading system if our vision of a more sustainable and
equitable global economy is to be realized. These enterprises are also important agents
of change, with the flexibility and singularity of focus required to drive sustainability
across value chains. The development of the EcoMark Global Accreditation as an

accessible and universally recognized platform will help them both find and compete in
new markets around the world, and meet the growing demand for sustainable products
and services.”

He said the announcement builds on the progress made at COP’s first ever Trade Day
held in Dubai last month, where the UAE hosted a series of critical conversations on the

contribution of trade to the climate change challenge. As Chair of the WTO’s 13th
Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi in February, He said EcoMark underlines

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/uae-launches-new-ecomark-green-accreditation-framework-
for-msmes